1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for holding a baton or night-stick of the type normally carried by police, security officers, military personnel and the like, and in particular to a baton holder that provides for rapid insertion and withdrawal of the baton from the baton holder, yet maintaining the baton in a secure and stable condition when positioned in the baton holder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Batons have been widely used by law enforcement personnel for quite some time as, for example, in law enforcement, self defense and crowd control. Baton holders are known in the art and examples of such are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 710,236, 372,000, 3,307,754, 4,006,851 and 4,424,923 to identify a few. Typically, a baton holder, which is attached to a user's belt, includes a metal ring through which the baton is inserted. Normally, the baton has an elongated cylindrical shaft of a diameter smaller than that of the ring and a shoulder or handle having a diameter larger than the ring so that the baton is insertable into the ring only up to the handle. In such case, the baton rests in the ring in a loosely confined manner which creates potential inconveniences and more importantly hazards to the officer carrying the baton. For example, the baton may readily pop out of the ring when the officer is running, bending over or jumping, while in pursuit. The officer may be preoccupied with stabilizing the baton in the baton holder during his movements, thus interrupting his concentration, thereby distracting him from his pursuit strategy. The freedom of movement of the baton in the baton holder may also result in injury to the officer during rapid movement.
Furthermore, the ease of removal of the baton from the ring compromises the officer's safety since an adversary or assailant may readily remove the baton from the baton holder while the officer is involved in policing activities and not focused on maintaining the baton in the ring.
Accordingly, what is needed is a baton holder that provides for easy insertion and withdrawal of a baton while maintaining the baton in a secure and stable condition during use.